Ahead of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth’s release on Aug. 14, Blizzard has started a new video series called Warbringers. Each video will focus on one of the main heroes or villains of Battle for Azeroth, starting with Jaina Proudmoore.
“Warbringers: Jaina” shows the Kul Tiran mage returning to her homeland. Through some still art and a sea shanty in the background, the short depicts Jaina’s guilt over the death of her father, Daelin Proudmoore, Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras.
In the second war, Daelin’s son and Jaina’s brother Derek was killed by orcs. From that moment on, Daelin refused to see the orcs as anything other than mindless beasts. After the third war — during Warcraft 3 — Daelin continued to wage war on the orcs. This didn’t sit well with Jaina, who had become the close ally of many orcs, including the Warchief of the Horde, Thrall.
As Daelin pushed against the Horde, Jaina sided against him, seeing only his hatred for beings he did not know. Despite Thrall and Jaina’s pleas that the orcs had changed, Daelin fought them to the death as his daughter watched. Jaina abandoned Kul Tiras and her people, who now hated her for betraying the Proudmoore family.
Toward the end of the short, Jaina rides out to where her family boat had sunk. She uses her magic to raise it from the ocean, and ride it back to Stormwind. She vows to return to her people and avenge her father, as her own hatred for the Horde boils after the bombing of Theramore in Mists of Pandaria.
Jaina will be a major character for the Alliance during Battle for Azeroth, and is responsible for their voyage to Kul Tiras, one of the new continents in World of Warcraft’s seventh expansion.
Warbringer: Sylvanas and Warbringer: Aszhara are set to release soon, presumably before Battle for Azeroth next month.